Why can't I lose weight?

wantskinnythighs

I started my diet on the 1st of January and by the end of the first week I'd already lost 2kg (5lbs). A week after I began my diet, I stopped losing weight and now I've gained 1kg and my weight hasn't been changing at all.

I've been doing everything right (except for a couple of binge days when I freaked out). I do ballet twice a week and walk a lot and do crunches everyday. I've been eating about 900-1000 calories a day and I'm just not losing any weight. I began taking the pill a week into my diet and after that I've been feeling really bloated, could that have anything to do with it?

Helloitsdan

Open your diary and I can help you.

K8ty_7

dont get disheartened, generally just after a diet u tend to lose quickly and then once ur body adjusts to eating less ul find the weight loss will slow down. thats what ive found with myself anyway. also, mayb up ur daily calorie intake a little, u dont want to b eating too few calories or ur body might go into 'shock' mode and start storing instead. they say that u tend to pick up a little weight after going on the pill, i didnt find i did but i did feel bloated for a while, just b patient with urself and ur body, im sure ul start seeing results again soon ^_^

boobee32

you are NOT eating enough if you are eating fewer than 1200 calories.

Helloitsdan

you are NOT eating enough if you are eating fewer than 1200 calories.

If you stand 5'3" and workout 3 times a week you should be eating appx 1700 calories or in that ballpark. You slow your metabolism if you eat below BMR.
Not good!

You catabolize lean mass when you eat below BMR.
Not good!

tamaradarlene

I did the same thing and as soon as I increased my calories the weight started coming off again. Try that, your body needs energy.

hottottie11

Eat eat eat! 800 cals is not enough and should not be attempted without medical supervision.

wantskinnythighs

Thanks everyone! I'll try increasing my calorie intake (:

30yearssincebikini

I started a week ago, and someone told me that you have to wait at least six weeks before you start to see a real change. You body is getting more muscular, which weighs more than fat. So as you lose fat, you gain muscle, so it seems you are not losing. But you are looking better. Take measurements of your hipe, waist, chest, and measure every week You will see an improvement quicker that way than with the scale.

david081

Don't drop below 1200 cals. Also stay with it, everybody plateau's at some point as their body adjusts to the new routine. Try mixing up your exercise routine a bit. Also, the pill may well be a contributary factor so fear not! Carry on and you'll see results!!

Best of luck, David

cssm

hi! i know where you are coming from i actually gained this week after a 2kg loss in 2 wks. i am working out and sticking to my calorie intake it can be upsetting but im learning from people on here to hang in there and keep going. Be careful with the pill it can alter hormone levels and definently retains water but this may settle down. good luck

Helloitsdan

Since youll be customizing MFP you may as well set protein to appx 25-30%
Carbs to 40-50%
Fats fill in the rest.

Dont be afraid to eat essential fats and protein!
Dont freak out if you eat 2 bananas and you blow sugar on MFP.
MFP doesnt understand the difference between 2 tablespoons of pure white sugar and 2 bananas.

Hugs and good luck!

hottottie11

I started a week ago, and someone told me that you have to wait at least six weeks before you start to see a real change. You body is getting more muscular, which weighs more than fat. So as you lose fat, you gain muscle, so it seems you are not losing. But you are looking better. Take measurements of your hipe, waist, chest, and measure every week You will see an improvement quicker that way than with the scale.

She is NOT gaining muscle at 800 cals...she's most likely losing it (depending on her starting weight)

Dudagarcia

Helloitsdan,

please help. I'm 57yrs old woman, 5 ft, weigh 143 and work out 6 days a week for 45-60 and do 30 minute rotate workouts, upper body w/wgts, lower body w/resistance belt & abs with ball or just on mat in addition to the cardio. I have already lost 38lbs, could I be at a plateau? Sometimes I will get on my elliptical for one of the cardio w/o. I am eating 1200 cal in addition to whatever I earn with my workouts. Most of the times I do not eat the rotate workout calories. I weighed myself and put on a few pounds. I have allowed myself a cheat meal and don't go over board. Should I be eating those additonal calories. Help, what should I start out with 1200 ok? I eat healthy, cut back on breads, and sugars and measure my food and log in mfp daily.

TourThePast

Your diary is closed so I cannot offer any specific help.

Brief summary, put your statistics into this website, eat all the calories this website tells you to, get more exercise ideally not just cardio but resistance training, make sure you're eating lots of lean protein eg chicken and fish and a LOT veg, every day before you even think about fruit and other sugary stuff or junk food.

Helloitsdan

Helloitsdan,

please help. I'm 57yrs old woman, 5 ft, weigh 143 and work out 6 days a week for 45-60 and do 30 minute rotate workouts, upper body w/wgts, lower body w/resistance belt & abs with ball or just on mat in addition to the cardio. I have already lost 38lbs, could I be at a plateau? Sometimes I will get on my elliptical for one of the cardio w/o. I am eating 1200 cal in addition to whatever I earn with my workouts. Most of the times I do not eat the rotate workout calories. I weighed myself and put on a few pounds. I have allowed myself a cheat meal and don't go over board. Should I be eating those additonal calories. Help, what should I start out with 1200 ok? I eat healthy, cut back on breads, and sugars and measure my food and log in mfp daily.

Waist measurement below navel?

lrstidham

You are not losing because your body is in starvation mode. Everyone and I mean every adult needs to eat a minimum of 1200 calories just to get out of bed in the morning. Bring you calories up, watch you fat intake, eat whole grains and lots of fruit and water and you should see a difference. If you don't make these changes your brain will send your body into stealing protien from you muscles and bones and that will be another problem. The more active you are the more you NEED to eat. Cars don't run without gas, when the gas tank gets too low the engine takes the sediment from the bottom of the gas tank. Your body runs pretty much the same way. Try it you will see. Please don't skip a meal and be creative, set small goals and reward yourself.

wantskinnythighs

I was starting to freak out and wondering if I had to eat even less. Thank god I don't!
I'll do what you're telling me and hopefully things will go better!
Thanks again for your help and support (:

charlotte66

yep eat eat eat!!! i started off eating 1200 well under that as sometimes id miss breakfast and lunch not having enough time for them but all i was losing as maybe just 1lb if i was lucky then last 2 weeks i decided i would try my hardest to get in me breakfast lunch and dinner and drink my 10 glasses of water and both this week and last i have lost 2lbs both weeks!

drgmac

Good Morning, Let me first come clean and say that I am not a dietician or a physician. I can, however, state that I am 45 years old and have maintained my current weight after the birth of my second child almost 6 years ago. I guess you could say I am a self taught label and fitness fanatic.

Okay, first of all you are putting your body in starvation mode. You need at least 1,200 calories. Your weight is not budging because you are consuming too few calories. Second, you need to up your cardio work out. While ballet is a good form of toning, it does little to raise your heart rate and facilitate a good calorie burn--unless you are an elite ballerina. I would suggest walking with very light weights or doing a cardio tape. I have added to my running routine lately and bought one of "The Firm" tapes. It is a heck of an aerobic dance work out. Third, you should also start slowly with a weight lifting routine with light weights and lots of repetitions because muscle burns fat as well. You should do your cardio work out daily and a weight routine 2-3 days a week.

Finally, I don't know what you are eating, but make sure you are incorporating enough lean protein into each of your meals. Protein takes the edge off of hunger and it also will help build muscle.

I hope this helps!
GMac

vjrose

Ok, I am of course seeing lots of different ideas here, all pretty good stuff and here is a small addendum, after wandering the scientific literature one unifying statement was that diets under 1,000 calories a day should only be undertaken with a doctor's supervision.

ironanimal

'I am doing everything right.'

No, you are not. Eating below 1000 calories a day and exercising regularly is far from doing it right. Eat more.

Helloitsdan

Good Morning, Let me first come clean and say that I am not a dietician or a physician. I can, however, state that I am 45 years old and have maintained my current weight after the birth of my second child almost 6 years ago. I guess you could say I am a self taught label and fitness fanatic.

Okay, first of all you are putting your body in starvation mode. You need at least 1,200 calories. Your weight is not budging because you are consuming too few calories. Second, you need to up your cardio work out. While ballet is a good form of toning, it does little to raise your heart rate and facilitate a good calorie burn--unless you are an elite ballerina. I would suggest walking with very light weights or doing a cardio tape. I have added to my running routine lately and bought one of "The Firm" tapes. It is a heck of an aerobic dance work out. Third, you should also start slowly with a weight lifting routine with light weights and lots of repetitions because muscle burns fat as well. You should do your cardio work out daily and a weight routine 2-3 days a week.

Finally, I don't know what you are eating, but make sure you are incorporating enough lean protein into each of your meals. Protein takes the edge off of hunger and it also will help build muscle.

I hope this helps!
GMac

Research starvation mode. Takes days of eating almost nothing to get there.
She is damaging her body though.
Eating below BMR robs nutrients from vital organs.
Its like running a marathon with a belt tightened around your chest allowing half breaths.

Congrats on maintaining though.
Finding that comfy spot is hard work!
=D

wantskinnythighs

Basically, I should just eat the number of calories that I'm allowed each day and I'll lose weight at a steady pace?

irjeffb

you are NOT eating enough if you are eating fewer than 1200 calories.

If you stand 5'3" and workout 3 times a week you should be eating appx 1700 calories or in that ballpark. You slow your metabolism if you eat below BMR.
Not good!

You catabolize lean mass when you eat below BMR.
Not good!

True, it might slow her metabolism, but eating too few calories will not cause one to GAIN weight.

MrsLawsonNavyBrat2B

I started my diet on the 1st of January and by the end of the first week I'd already lost 2kg (5lbs). A week after I began my diet, I stopped losing weight and now I've gained 1kg and my weight hasn't been changing at all.

I've been doing everything right (except for a couple of binge days when I freaked out). I do ballet twice a week and walk a lot and do crunches everyday. I've been eating about 900-1000 calories a day and I'm just not losing any weight. I began taking the pill a week into my diet and after that I've been feeling really bloated, could that have anything to do with it?

You have to think about it this way. If you only eat 900-1000 calories a day and then you exercise (lets say you burn 400 calories) then your NET intake is only 500-600 calories which is WAY TOO LOW! The days you do ballet DEFF up the calories so that you eat approx half your exercise calories. This way your body does not feel like it has to hold on to the weight to protect itself. FEEL FREE TO ADD

Helloitsdan

Correct.
Find out what your TDEE is and eat below that.
Find out what your BMR is and eat above that.
Find out what your Body fat % is and measure that.

Google Fat to Fit Radio Tools.
Do the military body fat calculator then the BMR tool.

kittyninja

You're not eating enough. Start eating at the VERY least, 1200 a day. If you exercise that day, eat 1200 plus the number of calories you burned from exercise.
Trust me on this one.
You're putting yourself in starvation mode.

ironanimal

Basically, I should just eat the number of calories that I'm allowed each day and I'll lose weight at a steady pace?

That's why MFP gave you the number

MaximalLife

Basically, I should just eat the number of calories that I'm allowed each day and I'll lose weight at a steady pace?

That's why MFP gave you the number

MFP has already figured out your total calories you need to eat per day to lose 1lb etc. a week.
That's WITHOUT exercise. You'll notice that when you actually add exercise in, the calorie limit goes up.
Why? Because it's telling you to eat your exercise calories.
Large deficits aren't really good to do because while you will lose weight, what kind of weight will it be?
In many cases you'll lose lean muscle tissue which LOWERS your metabolic rate even more.
Then you have to eat even less to compensate for less of a calorie burn to continue to lose the same amount
of weight each week.

Be efficient.
Exercise hard and eat back the calories. The hard exercise will RAISE your metabolic rate and burn more fat at rest.

MrsLawsonNavyBrat2B

Basically, I should just eat the number of calories that I'm allowed each day and I'll lose weight at a steady pace?

That's why MFP gave you the number

^^ what he said